Educational-chart drawing-board and writing-desk.



G. A. HENDERSON.

EDUCATIONAL CHART DRAWING BOARD AND WRITING DESK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28. 1914.

1 1 5 Q Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

G. A. HENDERSON. EDUCATIONAL CHART DRAWING BOARD AND WRITING DESK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28. I914.

Patented (M126, 1915.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A Q I? n N I?) a;

N I Q v I 0 5 Q 3 W N N N K) a m w) N N m o I S ow J01 ewumam I a L L U L GEORGE A. HENIDERS ON, OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS.

EDUCATIONAL-CHART DRAVIING-BOARD AND WRITING-DESK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 28, 1915.

Application filed July 28, 1914. Serial No. 853,729.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE A. HENDER- SON, citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Worth, in the county of Tarrant and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Educational- Chart Drawing-Boards and Writing-Desks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in writing desks, and as its principal object aims to provide an article of this character which is so constructed that the various parts may be easily and quickly folded to lie within a minimum compass, whereby the desk will occupy, when not in use, a relatively small space.

Another object of my invention is to so construct the desk that it may be efliciently employed as a drawing-board, the lap-board of the desk being for this purpose supported in an inclined position by specially constructed legs.

A further object of my invention, and one to which I have given particular attention, is the construction of the various parts with such regard to proportion, number and arrangement that the desk may be cheaply manufactured, and-will be strong and durable in service.

The above recited and other incidental objects of'a similar nature. are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in .the following specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the claims, which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein there has been illustrated the preferred embodiment of this invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a perspective view. showing the desk with the parts thereof in open position ready for use; Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view showing the legs and lap-board of the desk in folded position; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through the desk as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 41 is a section on the line H of Fig. l; and Fig. 5 is a detail view, partially in section, showing the manner in which the folding legs are hinged to the legs of the body portion of the desk.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the

desk consists essentially in a body portion, a lap-board, and a pair of foldable legs which may be swung either into position to support the lap-board, or may be disposed within the limits of the body portion. 2

The body portion includes a pair of parallel legs 10 and 11, the lower portions of which are connected by a transverse brace 12 and the upper terminals of which are connected by a transverse head-board 13. The head-board 13 may be scrolled at its upper edge, or otherwise formed so as to impartan ornamental appearance to the desk. The space between the members 10 and 11 at the upper edges thereof is bridged by a back-board 14:, the vertical edges of which are let into grooves 15 formed in the inner faces of the members 10 and 11. At a point slightly above the center of the members 10 and 11 is secured by screws, or other similar fastening devices, indicated at 16, a bar or brace 17 which is in width approximately equal to the distance from the front face of the member 1 1 to the forward edges of the members 10 and 11. A brace or bar 18, similar to the member 17, is secured at the upper terminal portions of the members 10 and 11, as shown particularly in Fig. 1. Transverse grooves may be formed in the inner faces of the members 10 and 11 to receive the terminals of this member 18.

Immediately below the member 18, and

employed in securing both the members 18 and 19 in the proper position.

A guard-board 22, similar in general design to the member 13, may be positioned between the members 10 and 11 immediately above the member 17. The space which is defined by the member 1 1 and member 22 may be employed as a receptacle for drawing instruments, writing instruments or stationery.

The lap-board, designated by the numeral 23, is preferably rectangular in shape and is secured at one end, as by hinges 24, to the bar or brace member 17. The inner leaves of the hinges 24 are preferably interposed between the lower edge of the member 22 and the upper face of the bar 17, in a manner which will be apparent upon reference to Fig. 3. The lap-board is in width approximately equal to the distance between the outer faces of the legs 10 and 11. In length the member 23 is approximately equal to the distance between the member 17 and the upper terminals of the members 10 and 11. The purpose in making the lap board of these dimensions is to enable the user of the desk to dispose the lap-board, when it is in folded position, as in Fig. 2, githin the limits of the body portion of the esk.

As has been hereinbefore explained, I employ as a means for supporting the lapboard 23, when this member is in open position, a pair of folding legs. These legs are similar in construction, and each consists in a vertical member 25 and two spaced,hori Zontally disposed brace members 26 and 27. Themember 27 of each'of the folding legs is rigidly secured at one terminal to the member 25 by means of screws or similar fastening devices, as at 28. These terminals of the members 27 are reduced and are let into recesses formed in the members 25 so that the faces of the members 27 and 25 will be flush with each other. The outer terminals of the members 26 are secured to the upper terminals of the members 25 in the same manner as above explained in connection with the member 27. The inner terminals of the members 27 are secured, as by hinges 29, to the members 10 and 11. These hinges are applied to the inner faces of the members 10 and 11 and the members 27, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 particularly.

In order to brace the members 27, when they are in extended position, they are so attached to the legs 10 and 11 that they may be received within notches 30 which are formed in the members 10 and 11. A further advantage accruing from the provision of'the notches 30 is that, when the lap-board supporting legs are folded, as in Fig. 2, the members 25 and 26 and 27 are all disposed witliin the limits of the body portion of the des The upper horizontal brace members 26 of the folding legs are provided with inclined upper edges 31 Because of the inclination of the upper edges of the members 26, the lap-board 23 is supported in inclined position when in use. The inner terminals of the members 26 are secured as by hinges 32 to the members 10 and 11. Terminal extensions 33 are formed on the members 26. These extensions are designed to lie within the notches 34: of the members 10 and 11 when the legs are extended, as in Fig. 1. The shoulders 35 which result from the formation of the extensions 33 serve by engagement with the adjacent edge of the legs 10 and 11 to brace the members 26.

As a means for holding the foldable legs in extended position, so that they will not be liable to swing inwardly with a resultant dropping of the member 23 while the desk is in use, I employ a pair of hook members 36 which are secured to the transverse edges of the members 23 and are engageable with eyelets 37 carried by the member 35. These hook members are also adapted to engage, when the lap-board is folded, with eyelets 38, which arecarried by the members 10 and 11 at their upper terminals.

From the foregoing description, it will now be appreciated that I have provided an extremely simple form of desk which may be employed either for writing purposes or for drawing. It will also be observed that the lap-board of the desk is adapted to be supported, when in use, by a pair of legs which are foldable with respect to the body portion of the desk, and may be moved into such position as to lie within the limits thereof.

In reduction to practice, it has been found that the form of this invention illustrated in the drawings, and referred to in the above description as the preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of this device will necessarily vary, it is desirable to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is l 1. An article of furniture including a member to be supported including spaced uprights, a bar connecting the said uprights, the uprights being provided in their forward edges with notches located adjacent the ends of the said bar and in a horizontal plane with the bar, and foldable supporting legs for the said member each including a leg proper and an arm extending therefrom and pivoted to one of the uprights within the notch thereof, the said legs being foldable to lie against the said bar and in overlapped relation and the arms, when the legs are in supporting position, being adapted to have their pivoted ends engaged in the said" to the body member, a pair of leg members for supporting the lap-board when the latter members including a leg proper and an arm is in lowered position, each ofthesaid leg Y extending therefrom and pivoted to one of have their pivoted ends engaged in the said the first mentioned legs Within the notch notches. 10 thereof, and a bar connecting the first men- In testimony whereof I affix my signature tionedlegs substantially in a plane With the in presence of tWo Witnesses.

i notches, the leg members being foldable to GEORGE A. HENDERSON. [1,. a]

lie against the said bar and in overlapped Witnesses: relation and the arms when the leg members E. R. HALLAND, are in supporting position being adapted to B. B. RAUDANS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

